The Paleo and keto diets are among some of the more popular eating styles that have emerged over recent years. While they share some similarities, they’re also quite different in many ways.
The main difference between Paleo vs. keto is that Paleo focuses on eating whole, unprocessed foods that people in the “caveman” era ate, without any restrictions on macronutrients like carbs. Keto’s primary goal is to limit carbohydrate intake and doesn’t put as much focus on what types of foods are eaten – just that the fat intake is high and carb intake is low.
There are a lot more details about comparing Paleo vs. keto that we’ll get into in this article, so if that summary didn’t answer all of your questions, then read on!
What is the Paleo diet?
A Paleo diet (short for Paleolithic) is an eating style that is meant to mimic what people were able to hunt and gather thousands of years ago before farming began. It’s called the Paleo diet or “caveman diet” because it is meant to mimic what people ate in the Paleolithic era, which was from around 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 B.C.
Some of the foods that are avoided in a Paleo diet include:
- All grains, including gluten-free and “ancient” grains
- “Pseudocereals” like quinoa (though some Paleo dieters eat them; it’s a somewhat controversial topic)
- Dairy products
- Refined sugar/sweeteners, as well as artificial sweeteners
- Legumes (beans, peanuts, soy, etc.)
What is the keto diet?
A ketogenic diet, or keto for short, is a very low-carbohydrate diet. The goal of being on a keto diet is to restrict carbohydrates (carbs) so much that your body enters a state called ketosis, where it starts burning fat for fuel instead of carbs.
Keto diets are also high in fat, usually around 70-80% of your total calories. (That would mean you’d eat a minimum of around 155 grams of fat per day for a 2,000-calorie diet.) Keto diets are high in fat because breaking down these fats provides ketones, an alternative source of fuel besides carbs.
Carbohydrate intake on keto diets is typically below 50 grams per day but can be as low as fewer than 20 grams per day. If you need a frame of reference to see how low that is, one medium apple contains around 25 grams of total carbs which could be around half or your entire day’s allotment of carbs.
What’s the purpose of keto vs paleo diets?
Keto
The main purpose of the keto diet is to help you burn fat for energy and promote weight loss. Many people are also attracted to the keto diet because of its potential to help lower blood sugar levels since you eat so few carbs on it (carbs turn into glucose after you eat them).
If you don’t stick with the keto diet, it’s possible to “come out of ketosis”, which is when you stop burning fat for fuel and go back to burning carbs as your body’s primary energy source.
Paleo
The Paleo diet aims to avoid many of today’s more processed foods by avoiding refined sweeteners, grains, and dairy, which didn’t exist in the Paleo era. Followers of the Paleo diet might do it for weight loss, but that’s not the sole purpose of the diet. Instead, the primary goal of the Paleo diet is to focus on more whole, unprocessed foods for better health.
Keto vs Paleo – similarities and differences
The keto diet and Paleo diet share some similarities, but they are very different diets. Let’s look at some of the ways they are similar and different!
| Similarities | Differences |
| Both avoid refined sweeteners | Artificial sweeteners are allowed on keto to help keep carb intake down, but not on Paleo |
| Both avoid most grains (lower-carb grains may be allowed on keto) | Keto restricts carbs and focuses on macronutrient distribution and Paleo doesn’t |
| Keto doesn’t avoid all legumes like Paleo does (low-carb legumes like soy, peanuts, etc. are allowed) | |
| Both put an emphasis on animal-based protein, nuts, seeds, and vegetables (though keto limits starchy veggies like potatoes) | Paleo avoids soy and dairy, whereas keto doesn’t |
| Both can be used to promote weight loss or try to improve overall health | Keto allows some low-carb flours, which might not be allowed on Paleo (like peanut flour and okara flour) |
| Paleo focuses on unprocessed foods while keto’s focus is more on fat & carb distribution | |
| Unprocessed sweeteners like honey are allowed on Paleo but not keto | |
| Fruit isn’t restricted on Paleo like it is on keto |
Which is better – keto or paleo?
While everyone has different opinions on which diet is “best” (why else would there be so many of them over the years?), it’s difficult to objectively say which one is better between keto and Paleo.
Paleo is less restrictive in terms of not having to count macronutrients (fat/carbs/protein) and puts more emphasis on whole foods. However, Paleo does restrict some foods that have potential health benefits, such as dairy products (good source of calcium) and legumes (excellent source of fiber).
Dieters who are looking for specific guidelines to follow might do better with the keto diet since it involves stricter parameters. However, it’s more likely that the keto diet is less sustainable to follow long-term compared to Paleo.
FAQs:
Paleo tends to be less restrictive and includes more variety of foods than keto, but is still more restrictive than other eating plans. The Paleo diet might also be a better option for those with health concerns related to dietary fat intake.
A Paleo diet isn’t a low-carb diet, so it’s unlikely to put you into ketosis unless you’re also drastically restricting your carb intake while on Paleo.
Dr Gundry low lectin eating can be done either Keto or paleo. He is a great source for nutrition info.